Avatar: Did you know

Avatar is a 2009 epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron, who also co-produced, co-edited, and wrote the screenplay. The film is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a moon of a gas giant planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. The film follows Jake Sully, a paraplegic former Marine who becomes part of the Avatar Program, a project that allows humans to remotely control genetically engineered bodies of the native humanoid species called the Na’vi. Jake falls in love with Neytiri, a Na’vi princess, and joins her people in their fight against the human invaders who want to mine Pandora for a valuable mineral called unobtanium.

Avatar was a huge commercial and critical success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. It also won three Academy Awards and was nominated for nine others, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film is widely regarded as a landmark in cinematic technology, especially for its groundbreaking use of 3D and motion capture. Avatar also spawned several sequels, spin-offs, video games, theme park attractions, and merchandise.

However, there are many interesting and fascinating facts about Avatar that you may not know. Here are 8 of them:

Childhood Fascination

James Cameron’s childhood fascination inspired Avatar with science fiction and fantasy. He said he wanted to create a film to “bring back a sense of wonder” and “transport people to a new world.” He also said that he was influenced by various sources, such as Edgar Rice Burroughs’s novels, Joseph Campbell’s mythology, Native American culture, and environmental issues.

Avatar: A decade of masterpieces.

Avatar took more than 10 years to make, from conception to release. Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film in 1994. He had to wait until the technology was advanced enough to realize his vision. Cameron also spent several years developing the language, culture, and biology of the Na’vi with the help of linguists, anthropologists, and biologists. He also hired actors from various ethnic backgrounds to voice and perform the Na’vi characters.

Avatar Worldwide Collection.

Avatar was one of the most expensive films ever made, with an estimated budget of $237 million. However, it also made more than $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide, making it one of the most profitable films ever made. It also became the first film to gross over $2 billion and the best-selling video title of 2010 in the United States.

The Avatar Tech.

Avatar used two different 3D camera rigs to shoot the film. One was called the Fusion Camera System, which Cameron and his company Lightstorm Entertainment developed. It consisted of two high-definition cameras mounted on a special rig that could move and rotate to create a realistic sense of depth and perspective. The other was called the Simulcam System, developed by Weta Digital, the visual effects company that worked on the film. It consisted of a camera that could simultaneously capture live-action and computer-generated imagery, allowing Cameron to see how the actors would interact with the virtual environment on set.

You can watch the Avatar movie here.

Avatar VFX.

Avatar featured over 2000 visual effects shots, which took over four years to complete. The film used a combination of motion capture and performance capture techniques to create realistic and expressive digital characters. Motion capture involved recording actors’ movements wearing special suits with sensors attached. Performance capture involved recording actors’ facial expressions wearing head-mounted cameras that captured their every nuance. The data from both methods were then used to animate the digital characters on screen.

Na’vi aka Lifya leNa’vi

Avatar created a new language for the Na’vi called Na’vi (or Lì’fya leNa’vi). Cameron hired linguist Paul Frommer to develop the language based on his initial sketches and ideas. Frommer created a complex grammar system and a vocabulary of more than 1000 words for the language. He also taught the actors how to speak and pronounce the language correctly. The language has since gained popularity among fans and learners around the world.

The Background score.

Avatar used real-life animal sounds for Pandora’s beasts. Sound designer Christopher Boyes recorded various sounds from animals. Animals like lions, tigers, elephants, walruses, dolphins, horses, dogs, pigs, chickens, and insects. He then mixed and manipulated these sounds to create unique vocalizations for each creature in the film. For example, he used walrus sounds for the direhorse’s breathing. Dolphin sounds for its whistling communication, and horse sounds for its galloping.

Past Connections.

Avatar featured many actors who had worked with Cameron before. For example, Sigourney Weaver, who played Dr. Grace Augustine, had worked with Cameron on Aliens and Ghostbusters II. Michelle Rodriguez, who played pilot Trudy Chacon, had worked with Cameron on The Fast and the Furious. Giovanni Ribisi, who played corporate executive Parker Selfridge, had worked with Cameron on The Postman. Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Miles Quaritch, had auditioned for the role of the Terminator in The Terminator. But lost to Arnold Schwarzenegger.